James Urbaniak, the former common law husband of Morinville's Jessica Martel who was convicted in 2010 of killing her, has been granted parole after serving 10 years of his life sentence.
On Friday, the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation released a statement expressing "(deep) disappointment" in the decision.
The statement noted Urbaniak is under several conditions, including three months of unsupervised weekend release followed by time at a halfway house.
Urbaniak pleaded guilty in October 2010 to second-degree murder for attacking and strangling Martel while her three children were in the home, and was sentenced to life in prison in December of that year.
Lynne Rosychuk, Martel's mother, said in the statement that her family is determined to move forward despite Urbaniak's parole.
"We will no longer allow his actions to define our family, to prevent healing, or to not experience the joys that come with a life well lived."
Janice Isberg, the executive director for the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation, said in the statement she was emotional at learning the news.
"Jessica's family is serving a life sentence for his actions. Short sentences and early parole for perpetrators of domestic violence send the message that the lives of these victims don't matter."
